SummaryAn independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna is about to let go of Sophie, the spirited daughter she's raised alone. For Sophie's wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends--practical and no-nonsense Rosie and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya--from her one-time backing band, Donna ...
SummaryAn independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna is about to let go of Sophie, the spirited daughter she's raised alone. For Sophie's wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends--practical and no-nonsense Rosie and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya--from her one-time backing band, Donna ...
Mamma Mia should be studied in school for all to see the wonders of this magical play. This should be remembered as one of the "galacticos" of theatre. This stuff is addicting like a drug and it has such good music. My ears ascended to the 27th dimension. I can't even see my kids in my house! I'm abooouuuuuttt tooooo... (falls asleep)
Am I a huge ABBA fan? Yes. Is this a biased review? Yes.
I've probably watched this film a hundred times and every time, I love it like it's the first time seeing it.
On a serious note, I absolutely love the cinematography in this, there are so many beautiful and perfectly framed shots that look great every time. The editing is also superb! The editor perfectly cut the scenes, giving enough time for emotions and suspense to develop, perfect. In terms of music, there was a great selection of ABBA, and each song perfectly fit in with what was going on in the story.
Surprisingly, I haven't seen the new film so I'll be getting onto that very soon. I don't think it's going to top the first film but it could surprise me.
The direction is slack -- it's Lloyd's first feature film and it shows -- the choreography clumsy and every ten minutes there's yet another gratuitous showstopper shouting in your face and insisting you have a good time.
Meryl Streep can do anything: sing, dance, do splits, act her heart out. She (almost) saves this clumsy, overwrought film version of the Abba musical that's been running on stages from Broadway to Barcelona since 1999.
Watching Streep and her two BFFs, played by Christine Baranski and Julie Walters, grinning and giggling their way through Mamma Mia! I felt I was being thoroughly, and unenjoyably, punished.
Yes, it really is a feel-good film, the cast is on point, they all match the personality of their characters, I think that the relationship between Donna and her friends overshadow the relationship of Sophie and Sky. Superb mixing of the songs with the script (I think the "Dancing Queen" scene is memorable and also "The Winner Takes It All"). The bonding between Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried really feels like a mother and daughter bond. The male actors really need to get singing lessons.
A girl named Sophie will marry very soon, but she never met her father and had no clue in who he is while she definely want to meet him and him to take her to the altar. So she take her mother personal diary to find out the men that she had relationships with, she got to know some men, and while she had no clue on who her father is, she dicide to invite all of the three, having hope that then she would get to finally know who her father really is. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd.
The plot of this movie is interesting, it takes a romantic familiar story afloat. The movie gives a happy atmosphere, wich combines perfectly with the movie. One very nice part of the story here is that they give some teachings that are very welcome, some familly moments with daughter and mother primarily discussed, that is very deep and good, wich we can take to any father son realationship as well, seeing the kid growing and getting in the routine, it had some really touching moments here. The story was very simple, it is much about a surprise and a mystery, but at the end of the day you aren't really caring about it that much, the story wich is about the fathers is not very interesting, the side plots that end up being some songs are way more interesting then that, even that if it had zero influence in the main story, i would prefer for the great songs to actually make the plot go on, not just as a aside moment. The movie have some easy solutions, somethings that i didn't got very interested, it had some boring moments. But in other hand it had some really nice moments, some moments with a good energy, a energy that could be passed for who is watching, wich is very great. The story itself have so many thins that have zero influence into anything, that are there just to be fun, wich is alright, some of these are fun and some aren't, but i like when a story flows, and when it doesn't, at least make a really nice thing to fill that, but in general it doesn't that much.
The most songs of the movie are very nice, the performance by the actors are all very well done. I loved how are different types of songs here, are songs that will just put you up, giving a good simle, there are songs that are sad and easily relatable with anyones life. The vocal by pretty much all of them was pretty damn good, some felt that they were a little bit with lack of will, but most of the time it was pretty good. The songs aren't very memorable, for me it wasn't songs that right after the movie ended i needed to listen it over and over, except for one, that was really great.
The acting/vocal in this movie was on point. Meryl Streep is outstanding here, she is interpretating a old mother, but she is completely stuborn and fun, she gave a spirit to that character that is so sincere, her interpretation talks to much, her smile can say so much, her expressions are so natural and organic, she is completely great here, without even mentioning the vocal, she singing is unbelievable, fantastic. Amanda Seyfried is another high point of the movie, she is good at passing emotions, and is totally trustable that she is really the daughter of Donna, also her singing was pretty damn good. Pierce Brosnan was good, in some singing moments, just maybe he wasn't feeling it, he maybe wasn't enjoying what was happening, and that was noticiable, but overall, in some funny and dramatic moments he worked out. Christine Baranski was good, but her performance in the song "Does your mother know" was great, the song is very funny and she delivered a sarcastic and in power character. Julie Walters also had a good job, and a nice song with Stellan Skarsgård. Colin Firth was ok, he didn't had much to do.
The cinematography of the movie is wasted in my opinion, because we had a big beautiful island to explore and i think that i couldn't feel the island that well, another thing that really bothered me, is that the movie have a yellow filter through the whole joint, what is the point of that, that yellow filter is just awful. The movie in other hand had some nice camera moviments, some positions that i enjoyed.
There are some cheeky moments here, but the songs are very good, the story does have some flaws, but it have some nice teachings.
An absoluly awful musical one of the worst. Maybe this type of movie is not my type of musical but there are so many other better movies than this crap fest. The songs are catchy but the acting and story are absolutely horrendous. Pierce broson and the rest of his merry men no joke there pretty merry are all very bad and while meryl streep was ok and so was the lead her friends were so cringe worthy to watch. I can name 3 musicals that are more entertaining than this into the woods chicago and les miserable. Les mis is not quite as a miserable movie going experience as this is. If you want to see a good musical go see the ones listed above otherwise stay clear.
Ugh-- I hate musical films, and despite "not so bad" reviews, I think this is an obnoxiously flaming catastrophe that should be avoided at all cost.
2/10.